My Best Marketing Tips #30: Diageo / Benni Lickfett / Global Head of Digital Innovation
My Best Marketing Tips #30: Diageo / Benni Lickfett / Global Head of Digital Innovation
From being part of a start-up on day 1 to heading the digital innovation arm of global brand Diageo, Benni Lickfett has experienced marketing innovation and the benefits of the start-up mentality in many shapes. Along the way, he’s learnt that “brands don’t kill” – we’re here to work hard and have a good time, but we need to keep perspective, too.
One of Benni’s big lessons in recent years has been to step back and take a look at the bigger picture, but also to get better at focusing on the essentials. He values being open and honest with others and with himself about his own goals and he wants to achieve.
What would be your best marketing tip?
Empathy is the foundation of all good marketing.
Brands need to really put themselves in the consumers’ shoes, seeing something from their perspective. Too many brands have developed a certain arrogance now and have stopped doing this.
How have you put this marketing tip to good use?
I think there are many ways to develop this brand empathy. I use A/B testing or hands-on testing with customers, but really the main goal is to always try and put myself in their shoes. Also, ensuring we’re open to diversity in our teams: if your organisation is diverse, you’ll automatically be able to develop this empathy better.
What marketing tips does the industry need most right now?
When crowd sourced projects like Wikipedia and Waze took off, it seemed like we were inaugurating a new era where working with other, collaborating and co-creating, would lead to better brands, better content, and even a better world. But the potential for that hasn’t been fulfilled. The most we get is people choosing a crisp flavour most often.
I think the reason we’re not making the most of the “hive mind” is brands’ reluctance to be 100% transparent and also to take the risk of opening up to customers. We need to do more of that. The likes of Lego and Xbox do it wonderfully.
What is the marketing tip you give most often?
Do one thing right, rather than a lot of things half-baked. Focus on what matters.
Listen to Benni talk about his start-up venture history, his worst advice about innovation and his predictions on the future of marketing, on the latest episode of our Shiny New Object podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4qtqKepVfKjYLbDF95pFLy
Subscribe to Automated Creative’s Newsletter